Psychological
by BEN-Beyond the Elusive Nomads
Summary: After learning she's the Key, Dawn faces some serious self-image problems of the abnormal variety. Written for HC Bingo on LJ.


**Title: ****Psychological **  
**Prompt:** Body Dysmorphic Disorder  
**Medium:** Fic  
**Rating**: R  
**Warnings:**none  
**Summary:**After learning she's the Key, Dawn faces some serious self-image problems of the abnormal variety.

Dawn stared at her mirror with wide eyes.

There was no way what she was seeing was real. No way at all. This…even if it was the Hellmouth, it wasn't possible…right?

She slowly raised her hand and watched as her reflection mimicked her, but with a strange green glow surrounding her skin. She looked down at her own hand and saw nothing but her normal, soft skin. She looked at the mirror with barely disguised horror.

So, she did the only thing she could in a time like this.

"BUFFY!"

.

The Scoobies all looked at Dawn with sorrowful eyes, and really she felt like crying. Why didn't they see it? Why didn't they believe her? Even Xander looked concerned for her mental health – and he was the one who was supposed to stay on her side!

"I'm not crazy!" Dawn cried, stomping her foot, "Why can't you see it? Why aren't you researching harder? If it was Buffy this was happening too you'd be researching like nobodies business!"

"Now, that isn't true, Dawn." Giles said calmly, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose, "After what you've gone through these last few days, it's perfectly understandable that you'd be stressed. I think you should just get a good nights sleep, and it'll all be over in the morning."

"You just don't care!" Dawn screamed, "Now that you know I'm not REAL, you don't fucking CARE! I'm just a thing to you! Hell, you probably think that if I go ahead and die now then you won't have to deal with Glory any more! Is that it!"

"What's going on?" Buffy asked as she and Spike entered the Magic Box, slightly worse for wear but obviously satisfied by a good patrol. She immediately spotted Dawn's tears and she turned her gaze to her friends. "What's wrong?"

"Dawn believes that something is happening to her." Giles said calmly as he cleaned his glasses, "I believe it would be best for her to simply have a good nights sleep. She had a hard day yesterday and needs her rest."

"What's wrong, Dawnie?" Buffy asked softly, walking to gently turn her sister around, "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not!" Dawn cried, "I-I looked in the mirror this morning, and there was just this glow around me – this green glow. I-I know I'm not human, but that isn't n-normal!"

"Why aren't you looking into this now?" Buffy asked her friends in a deathly calm voice.

"Giles thinks it's all psychological." Anya said bluntly from her place at the counter, "He doesn't want to believe that something's wrong with her, and since she's not human enough for his tastes he doesn't want to waste his time trying to help something that isn't under council jurisdiction."

"Ahn!" Xander called loudly, "That's not it at all! Just because you were a Vengeance demon-!"

"Thank you, Anya." Buffy said, cutting Xander off, "Is this true Giles?"

"N-not at all!" Giles protested nervously. Buffy watched her watcher for a long moment before turning back to Anya.

"Do you think this is psychological?" she asked the ex-demon patiently. Anya shrugged.

"It's always possible, but we also live on a Hellmouth. Something could be affecting her perspective – something evil."

"And that's all I need to know." Buffy said shortly as she turned back to her friends, "Start looking in to anything that can mess with someone's mind."

"Buffy, are you honestly taking her word on this?" Willow asked with a frown while Tara sat awkwardly beside her, "I mean she was a demon for thousands of years."

"And that means she knows a hell of a lot more than you lot do." Spike finally spoke up after taking a drag of his cigarette, "Demon girl knows what she's talking about."

"What, so now you're listening to Evil Dead over us?" Xander asked angrily. Buffy glared.

"Yeah, I am, cuz he seems to be the only one who cares what happens to my sister." She said firmly.

Giles sighed and cleaned his glasses anxiously, "Buffy, you have to understand that Dawn…she isn't really your sister. If it comes down to it, y-you have to be prepared to make sacrifices-"

"Not Dawnie." Buffy said in a low voice, "I would sacrifice myself before I let anything happen to her. The monks made her from me, Giles. She might as well be my daughter. I would die before I let Glory touch a hair on her head."

"Buffy-"

"I'm not listening to this anymore!" Buffy yelled, shocking her friends to silence, "I'm done. If you have something important to say to me about Glory, then go ahead. But if all you're going to do is go on about how I have to sacrifice my sister to save the world, then you better leave me alone. I would let the world go to hell before I lost her."

"Then that's very likely what will happen." Giles said softly. Buffy shrugged but otherwise didn't respond. Instead she held out her hand to her sister. Dawn was quick to reach her side and without another word, Buffy, Dawn, and Spike left the Magic Box behind.


End file.
